Just as it was looking likely that Frank Lampard would attempt to lead Norwich out of a relegation battle, the Chelsea legend has been ruled out of the race and won't be taking the job at Carrow Road.

Dean Smith, former head coach of Aston Villa, is now favourite to succeed Farke, according to reports.

The ever-reliable Matt Law from the Telegraph tweeted a major update this afternoon to seemingly confirm that the former Chelsea boss is not interested in the vacancy.

"Frank Lampard will not return to management at Norwich City after pulling out of the race #ncfc." he said.

The 43-year-old became a quick favourite for the job after he was rumoured to be in talks with sporting director, Stuart Webber, earlier this week.

The former England international has not been in a managerial position since he was sacked in early 2020 by Chelsea, after failing to get a consistent run of form going with the Blues.

Dean Smith was sacked earlier this week by Aston Villa after five consecutive losses, and the decision was met with mixed emotions from fans who have watched the club go from Championship to an established Premier League side in just three seasons.

The 50-year-old coach shared a heartfelt statement earlier this week expressing his gratitude and feeling of accomplishment as manager of his boyhood club;

 “The Aston Villa board’s aims and ambitions are to take our club back into European football and I would love nothing more than seeing the club achieve that.
“I’ve always said that I was simply a custodian of this great football club, and my aim was to leave it in a better place than I found it. I believe that together we have achieved that.” Steven Gerrard has since been announced as the new Aston Villa manager.

According to Sky Sports, Smith had an interview with the Norwich board yesterday, with the Canaries reportedly impressed by him.

The former Brentford boss is no stranger to a relegation battle or Championship football, after taking a struggling Aston Villa side from 15th in the Championship to an 11th place Premier League finish.

Norwich are in desperate need of a manager with the right experience to take on the difficult challenge of keeping them up this season, Smith would be a great fit should he feel the challenge is something he is capable of at this moment in time.

Despite Lampard's rejection, the fact that Smith is still firmly in the running should leave the Canaries' faithful excited about the immediate future.

His record at both Brentford and Villa is hugely encouraging, regardless of the division they find themselves in next season.

AND in other news, Norwich expecting weekend appointment...